2 Vero Beach barrier island neighborhoods to get speed limits reduced

VERO BEACH — Bahia Mar Road resident Kai Martin was pleased that the speed limit on roads in the Silver Shores and Bethel Isles neighborhoods are being reduced, but thinks more needs to be done.

The City Council on Tuesday morning approved reducing the speed limit on the residential streets in those neighborhoods from 30 mph to 25 mph. The streets are between Live Oak Road and the north city limits, west of State Road A1A, on the barrier island.

"I am very happy, but it's not enough," said Martin. "I'm still going to be asking for sidewalks to be put in in that area."

A resident of Indian River Drive, which turns into Live Oak Road as it winds east, also said measures are needed to combat cut-through traffic speeding through that road.

The council in two weeks also could consider a similar speed limit reduction for roads east of S.R. A1A between the 17th Street Causeway and Sea Gull Drive.

Concerns from some residents in the Bethel Isles and Silver Shores neighborhoods prompted the city to mail out surveys to residents in April.

According to Assistant City Engineer Bill Messersmith, 187 of the 342 letters sent out were returned. Of those, 57 percent were in favor of the speed reduction. Favorability was 62 percent if the area outside the gated community of Cache Cay was excluded, said Messersmith, who noted people in that community do not live along the streets that would be impacted.

Respondents within Cache Cay voted 32-27 against the reduction, although the speed limit in that community is 20 mph.

The city held off taking action on reducing the speed limit in the Bethel Isles and Silver Shores neighborhoods earlier after city officials in June proposed reducing the speed limit on all residential streets to 25 mph. Some council members at that time seemed to like the citywide reduction, but City Councilman Brian Heady — the only councilman still in office from that council — thought such speed reductions should be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Messersmith said city officials decided against the citywide reduction after the negative reaction they received on another traffic calming project in the Vero Isles neighborhood last fall. The city had received a request from the Vero Isles Homeowners Association to put speed tables in that neighborhood, but some residents later expressed opposition to the idea.